Jan 1, 2008

All about Doug Allen, Buffalo's anthem singer

There's a nice article on NHL.com about Doug Allen, the anthem singer for the Buffalo Sabres. He'll be singing the Canadian national anthem at today's Winter Classic outdoor hockey game. An excerpt:

Doug Allen hits all the right notes when he sings the national anthems at Buffalo Sabres home games.

He does even more good at his day job, as the maintenance supervisor at Cornerstone Manor, a facility that gives shelter to Buffalo’s homeless women and children. It’s affiliated with Buffalo City Manor, which shelters homeless men.

“I take care of the building,” said Allen. “I fix things when they break, I take care of service calls. I do some work on the floor, some of the heavier work that the ladies might not be able to do.

...

Allen has been a wonderful sight for Sabres fans, who have enjoyed Allen’s work over the last 15 years. Allen does most Sabres home games, with the exception of Wednesday and Sunday nights, when commitments to his other love, his church, force him to be elsewhere. He’s the worship leader and music director at Big Tree Wesleyan in nearby Blasdell, N.Y.

Allen is looking forward to singing the Canadian anthem prior to The AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. It’s a little less work than he’s used to, but Allen said he has no problem ceding some of his duties to famed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, who will sing God Bless America.